The present invention relates to gaming, and in particular, to locating gaming chips on a gaming table.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In a casino gaming environment, there is a need for efficiency, accuracy and auditing. Efficiency relates to the speed of the game, which contributes to player engagement as well as increases the rate of return on the game. Accuracy relates to the correctness of intakes and payouts, which contributes to player satisfaction as well as conforms the rate of return to historical expectations. Auditing relates to the ability of management to review the efficiency and accuracy.
Traditionally, casinos have relied on training to meet their goals for efficiency, accuracy and auditing. Well-trained dealers are more efficient and accurate. Well-trained pit bosses are more easily able to view, review and audit the activities of the dealers and players.
More recently, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is being deployed in casinos. Gaming tokens include RFID tags, and gaming tables include RFID readers. The particular location of a gaming token on a gaming table is often important; however, this is a challenge for RFID technology. One solution is to define specific betting spots on a gaming table, associate an RFID antenna with each betting spot, and then engineer the system such that each RFID antenna only detects the RFID tokens located in its betting spot. Various techniques may be used to engineer the system; these include providing physical space between adjacent betting spots, providing electromagnetic shielding (e.g., ground loops) around antennas, generating cancellation fields, etc.